


Not A Mouse

by Phisobi



Category: Kari-gurashi no Arietti | The Secret World of Arrietty, Original Work, The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, G/T, Giant/Tiny, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Size Difference, Tumblr Prompt, and he gets separated from his brother, borrower au, but theyre slightly serious? theres blood and he cant move his arm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29549223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phisobi/pseuds/Phisobi
Summary: Prompt oneshot #17: "Help" with another prompt "Borrower"Will ventures out into the new house to find himself a weapon. It was a miracle he and his brother had escaped the fire that consumed their last home, but it couldn't have happened when they were more unprepared.That's the grim thing about accidents, he realized. You never truly know when one will happen.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	1. 1

It was later than usual for Will to be up, but it didn't seem like sleep was an option tonight anyway.

The wind howled something fierce outside, making the wooden house creak like the branches on a towering old willow. The walls rattled lightly with each strong gust, and every little noise had the borrower on high alert. It was always tough to settle into a new home-- how the hell could he sleep in a place he knew nothing about? Unfamiliarity lurked beyond every corner, and sitting there doing nothing did little to soothe his nerves. 

He glanced over to where his younger brother was laying in the makeshift hammock he'd built, watching him sway gently with every breath. They'd been here a grand total of three days so far, and had basically nothing to show for it. Starting over from scratch was a difficult journey for a borrower to take, and they had a lot of progress to make. Thankfully they had managed to luck out on finding food on the night they first arrived, but they still needed  _ tools _ .

He sighed, pulling himself off of the small piece of fabric that he called a bed. It was thin and didn't smell the greatest, but it was softer than the wood and served as a layer of protection from the cold all the same. It was the only thing they could find to use so far-- but even the most useless of items to a human were treasures to a borrower. Like a safety pin, or a nail, or a sewing needle. Which is exactly what he was on the hunt for.

Using sharpened sticks had gotten them to the house, but in order to brave the dangers that co-occupied the walls and floors with them, he was going to need a better weapon. Something durable that wouldn't break on contact, something he could rely on in a pinch. He deeply missed his old sword, and hung his head in mourning at the thoughts of it melted into a pile of ash, along with the rest of their belongings. It was a miracle either of them had escaped the fire that consumed their last home, but it couldn't have happened when they were more unprepared.

That's the grim thing about accidents, he realized. You never truly know when one will happen.

And so he was cautious as ever as he peered around the corners of the inner walls, half expecting to cross paths with a giant rat or a spider that made camp, but it was empty as the dead of night. It didn't stop him from kicking up any cobwebs he found though, just for good measure. It was his turn to make this home now, and that started with safe passage ways. 

He made a mental map as he walked, trying to chart his way to what he called the 'supply room', where he had noticed a bunch of potentially useful things on their initial sweep of the house. There was a table in there that was topped with papers and pens, which usually meant other stationery supplies. They didn't have time to take things then, but to sneak out now while the human of the house was asleep was the best time of all. He felt a bit bad leaving his brother there all alone, but didn't dare disturb him from what little sleep the kid could get. Besides, they were safe in the small space they'd chosen to stay, and it wasn't like he planned on being gone for very long. 

A small strip of light filtering into the darkness pulled him from his thoughts, his eyes immediately latching on to the long vertical crack in the wall. If he remembered correctly, this led into the living room, and just beyond it was the room he was looking for. He took a few steps over to it in curiosity and pushed it gently to peer through, confirming his whereabouts as his eyes landed directly on the back of the TV. With nothing to really look at he pulled back after a few seconds, continuing his journey.

The supply room was a difficult one to navigate, especially without a hook, but he had to  _ try _ . Cautiously Will stepped out of the small entrance, tail flicking in agitation at the difficult task before him. The table he needed to reach wasn't very close to where he was, and he stood there stumped for a moment as he pondered his options.

He could always find a way to the floor and try to make it up from there using the legs of the chair, but climbing would be perilous.

At his feet, spanning around the walls of the room was a wooden trim that lined up perfectly with the top of the table. He could use that, but falling would be lethal.

Feeling a sense of bravery and not wanting to waste time, he decided to go with the latter. After all he was used to having his life on the line, with everything being a danger to him at his size. It was just something he had to adapt to, but no burst of courage could mask his wary gaze around the room to make sure he was alone before he willingly put himself in the open. If there was any bigger danger to a borrower than a human, he couldn’t name it.

Luckily the coast seemed clear, so with a deep breath he tied his messy hair back and began to focus on his footwork. His back pressed against the wall as he shimmied carefully, his feet sticking almost halfway over the edge with every step. But every breath was controlled, every movement slow and even. Nothing filled him with determination like a risk worth the reward during his borrowings.

And his efforts paid off, as he eventually shuffled along the wall far enough to reach the table, which he hopped onto like he’d never see solid ground again. He sighed in relief as he landed, reveling in his success for only a moment before resuming his search. 

He glanced down as he walked by, trying to read what was on a few of the scattered pages and get a better glimpse on what this new human was like, but he found that he couldn’t really read it. It was definitely English, but there was a frustratingly large amount of words that he’d never seen before, and didn’t understand. His face scrunched up as he discarded the attempt entirely-- he was here to look for supplies, not waste time reading!

“ _ If I were something sharp, where would I be hiding… _ ” Will muttered under his breath, climbing onto a binder containing even more papers he likely couldn’t read. His eyes narrowed in search, scanning all around him. For such a small house and only one human, there seemed to be a  _ lot _ of clutter and little things everywhere. The table alone had a wide array of little things everywhere, including plants and rocks and jewelry that sat upon stacks of thick books. Will couldn’t fathom what the purpose any of it was for, but he knew that humans liked to collect odd things as well.

After a few moments his eyes landed on a bright green pencil case on the other half of the table, a giant rin spreading across his face as he made his way over to it. He winced as he pulled the plastic tab at the front of it, popping it open. In reality it wasn’t that much noise at all, barely audible over the wind, but it didn’t stop his heart rate from spiking. 

As soon as the silence resumed, Will took one last glance over his shoulder before rummaging through the plastic case. His luck seemed to be at its end though, finding nothing of use that he would be able to take back successfully or that a human wouldn’t miss. He was about to give up and search somewhere else, but as he turned away a small glint caught his eye. His hand dove back in and wrapped around it, revealing a slightly crooked paperclip as he pulled.

Wonder filled his eyes as he admired it, happy to note that it was still strong enough to get some use out of. He’d found many paperclips before that were too twisted to use, most of them simply snapping beneath the smallest bit of pressure. Safety pins were always preferable, but at this point he would take whatever he could get.

He clipped it through his shirt and jumped out of the pencil case, about to go snoop in another box, when the ground suddenly shook beneath him. The whole table wobbled, making him lose his balance and send him to his knees. He looked behind him with a grunt of frustration, wondering what the hell it could be. And his body grew frigid as his eyes landed on the  _ second _ worst thing for a borrower to encounter. 

_ A cat. Since when was there a cat?! _

Will felt frozen to the core, the stare of it’s big yellow eyes pinning him in place. His breathing quickened as he began to panic, and in his panic he did the one thing he knew how to do best. 

He ran.

Like his life depended on it he ran towards the edge of the table, knowing that climbing down would be his only option. But his small two legs were nothing compared to the beast, who advanced on him in the blink of an eye. In a last second effort to defend himself Will turned around to brandish the paperclip, but the only thing he saw was the swipe of a massive paw coming his way.

He cried out in pain as claws dug into his skin, tearing through his clothes with ease and sending him flying towards the chair. The last thing he remembered was a sickening  _ thunk _ of his head against the wooden backrest, before the world swirled and faded into a numb black void.

The cat, satisfied with it’s mouse kill, picked him up in it’s mouth to go show its owner.

-

  
  


Casey shifted in bed, torn from her sleep by the sound of her cat meowing. It wasn’t uncommon for him to come and visit her in the middle of the night, but he rarely made such a racket.

“Gil…” She grumbled in annoyance, words slurred with sleep. “What’s wrong?” 

Meows were her only answer.

“Just.. come to bed.” She sighed, patting the edge of the bed and making little kissy noises. This would usually bring him rushing to her side, eager to get scratches and cuddle into bed. 

“Gilbert.” She tried a little more sternly, but the little white furball didn’t move a muscle. 

With a confused frown she sat up more, wondering what it was he could possibly want as she flicked on the lamp beside her. As light flooded the room around her and her eyes adjusted, the first thing she noticed was the red. The  _ blood. _ She gasped as she looked down, eyes landing on a small tailed figure bloody and limp on her hardwood floor.

“Damn, it’s been a while since you’ve brought me one of these.” She sighed, not wanting to deal with another dead mouse at the earliest hours of the day, but she couldn’t just leave it there and continue sleeping in good conscience. Gilbert fled the crime as Casey ripped the covers off, rubbing the sleepy blurriness from her eyes as she shuffled over to the door to grab a plastic bag and clean up the scene.

But as she returned to her knees in front of the dead animal, she realized with a sinking stomach that it was in fact neither of those things. Her lethargic attitude was immediately replaced with shocked wonder as she took in his otherworldly features, like his pointy ears and tail. But aside from a few key differences he looked almost entirely human, clothes and all, and after a few moments her shock bled into worry. Whatever this thing was, it was hurt and needed help  _ fast _ . 

Fortunately she was no stranger to patching people up, having taken care of her brothers and friends when they got into fights in the past. So with the utmost caution she gently lifted him into her hand and brought him to the bathroom where she kept her first aid kit. She wasn’t sure how much of it could actually help someone of his size, but she figured that any amount of help would be better than him just bleeding out on her floor. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she glanced down at her hand, unable to believe that an entire life was nestled in the center of her palm. It was difficult to not just sit there and stare, marvelling at the sight of his little limbs against hers.

As carefully as she could she laid the other down on a cloth on the bathroom counter, beginning an injury assessment. A deep frown settled onto her face as she examined the deep lacerations on his arm and shoulder, realizing that her cat was the one to do this to him. Slowly she cut away his shirt with the smallest scissors she could find, in search of more injuries. Thankfully, the cuts seemed to be the only noticeable concern. Her hands shook lightly as she fished around under the sink for the bright red emergency box. It didn’t get much use after she took the band-aids out of it and put them in the kitchen, but she hoped that there would be something in there that could work for him. She usually wouldn’t be this nervous, but she had  _ no _ idea what she was dealing with here.

The rolls of gauze, medical tape, and other supplies were a welcoming sight to her tired eyes, and she wasted no time in cutting a small strip of the cotton to help stop the rest of the bleeding. But while she knew that she had to apply pressure for it to work, she felt terrified to touch him with anything more than the weight of a gentle breeze. After a moment she swallowed her fear, and did it anyway. It was do or die, and she really didn’t want him to die; He was still breathing and she fully intended to keep it that way.

She was as delicate as she’d ever been in her life as she washed the blood away, cleaning dirt and grime off of him as she worked. She hadn’t the slightest idea of where he came from, but it definitely wasn’t a place with running water. Not wanting any dirt or bacteria to get into the wounds she helped clean him off as thoroughly as she could, placing him back on the cloth when she was done. She waited a moment for his skin to dry before grabbing a q-tip, and leaning in to apply some antibiotic ointment. 

But she wasn’t prepared for him to wake up as soon as it made contact.

-

Will woke up to a sharp pain in his side, sucking in a deep breath through his teeth. His eyes clamped shut as he tried to twist away from the searing feeling in his shoulder, but moving only made things worse. He cried out, reverting his body to its original position with a shudder. It was hard to do anything other than lay there and breathe, but after a second he was able to open his eyes. 

And all he saw was white. For a moment he thought he was dead… but if he was dead then his head wouldn’t be throbbing like someone had pelted it with rocks. His face wrinkled in confusion, trying to blink away the blurriness to get a better look at his surroundings. It didn’t seem to fully clear, but it faded enough for his eyes to land the human right in front of him. Making him wonder if this was really better than death or not.

The air seemed to be sucked from the room and he felt unable to breathe, only barely able to scramble back half an inch despite the pain. His eyes darted between her and the q-tip in her hand, wide with terror. He felt  _ utterly _ fucked.

Casey stared back in shock, not quite sure what to do. But the little guy seemed pretty panicked, so she tried to calm him down.

“Hey,” She started calmly, not missing how he flinched back from her voice. “Take it easy there, I won’t hurt you. I’m just gonna fix you up, you got cut pretty bad.”

As if noticing his injuries for the first time Will looked down, following her gaze to his arm and shoulder. Three long gashes lined his skin, red and raw from the fresh attack. He couldn’t do much other than shake his head ‘ _no_ ’ as his breathing quickened, reality trying to settle through the thick fog in his brain.

“You don't have to be afraid of me,” She reassured, but it did little to calm him down. “Please, you're injured.” She urged, but he just kept shaking his head, unable to find his voice.

Nothing about being in the company of a human promised security-- He had to get out of here, he had to  _ escape _ . He tried with all his might to tell her not to touch him and to leave him alone, but the words blurred together like the colours in his vision until his overwhelmed brain blacked out once more.

Casey took this opportunity to get to work.


	2. 2

It was a while before Will regained consciousness again. Night had come and passed, the sun already high in the sky before he was able to open his eyes once more. He groaned, bringing a sluggish hand up to rub his face. It'd been forever since he'd slept like that, so replenishing and undisturbed, so comfortable and warm. 

But comfortable and warm wasn't what he remembered last.

He gasped as he realized that he was somewhere new again, somewhere dark that he didn't recognize. The blurry memories slowly came back to him piece by piece as he looked around.

The table. The cat. _The_ _human_. 

He looked down at himself, eyes immediately landing on the bandages over his left side, securing his shoulder and arm in place so that he couldn't use it. A shiver ran through him at the thoughts of being worked on while he was unconscious, at the thoughts of what she could do to him if she wanted to. She may have patched him up, but he wasn't falling for her act of innocence. Humans were dangerous and unpredictable-- for all he knew she was only helping him to preserve her discovery, waiting for him to wake up to start the questioning and the tormenting. He'd heard the stories many times before, and was _not_ going to stick around to see if they were true.

He crawled out of the makeshift bed that had been made for him, wincing in pain as his sore body protested his every move. He didn't even know where he was going, only knowing that he had to escape and get out of there as fast as he could; But he didn't make it very far. After a few steps a particularly sharp pain in his head made his legs buckle and give out from under him, sending him to his knees. He managed to catch himself with his good arm, gritting his teeth through the searing pain that coursed through his body.

It was frustrating to feel so helpless, so trapped. He couldn’t even tell how long he’d been in here, or how he was going to get out. He panicked as he realized that he didn’t even tell his brother where he was going, and could only hope that he wouldn't go looking for him and get caught as well.

To make matters worse, he could hear the distant sound of heavy footsteps closing in. His eyes went wide and he quickly tried to get away again, but he barely had time to move before the wall closest to him folded back and revealed the piercing gaze of a gigantic human. 

He froze on the spot, jaw dropping in shock. He’d never been so close to one before, and it overwhelmed each and every one of his senses. 

"Oh, you're up." Casey blinked in surprise, not expecting to see the little guy awake let alone fallen out of bed. She had been checking in on him all morning, keeping him safe from the cat with the closet door shut, but this was the first time he’d stirred from his slumber. And he still looked _terrified_.

"How're you feeling..?" She asked nervously, but silence was her only answer. A heavy awkwardness settled around the room, and she fidgeted with her stance. She wasn't used to being so calm and friendly with strangers, but even after toning herself down her little guest seemed much too afraid to answer. A part of her wondered if she was even being understood, but he'd shaken his head at her before in the washroom, so he had to at least know English.

Will's whole body was tense, ready to run at a moment's notice. Anywhere felt safer to him than here, but moving was proving to be a challenge. Even breathing felt like agony, and he winced as he repositioned himself on the floor in pain. He stayed silent at her question, not wanting to reveal that he could speak. But he knew he had to flee, to get out of there before curiosity trampled morality and she tested just how far he'd go to keep quiet. Maybe she'd see how many days he could go without eating, or how hard she'd have to pull to tear his good arm off, _or maybe she--_

"I'm sorry.." Her soft voice tore him from his spiraling thoughts, snapping his attention back to reality. He knew he was shaking ever since she'd approached, but he hadn't realized he was crying until he heard himself sniffle and felt the warm tears drag down his face.

Casey's heart broke at the sight. 

"I- I didn't mean to scare you so bad, I just want to help." She continued, voice still as soft as ever. "But I bet this is probably pretty terrifying from your point of view." 

Will looked up at her warily, wondering what game she was playing at.

"It's kinda my fault you're hurt, so if I can do anything to help, let me know." She said, but Will gave her no response.

"Can you… talk?" She tried after a moment, wondering if what she was dealing with was mute. 

Will only stared, confused and apprehensive. He was still clearly terrified, but this whole interaction was going down much smoother than he could have ever dreamed. She didn't seem to be forcing anything out of him, didn't seem set in establishing her power over him. Hell, she'd even _apologized!_ He'd never heard of a human doing that before.

"Well, I was just checking up so I'll leave you to rest a little longer if you don't need anything, then." Casey gave a sad smile, a little disheartened that none of her efforts of communication were being reciprocated. But she knew a part of that was her lingering presence scaring the life out of the little guy unintentionally.

"I'm sorry, again.." She said softly, giving him one last chance to answer before gently pulling the door closed behind her.

The borrower blinked in confusion, not expecting everything to happen the way it did.

The human's words were stuck on repeat, and he was unable to get the image of her sad eyes out of his head. There was no way her kindness was sincere, it had to be an act. Humans weren't selfless like this unless they wanted something in return, but she didn't even seem bothered by his lack of, well, _anything_ . It stumped him to the core, his brows furrowing in thought as he looked over to the soft pile of fabric he'd woken up on. There certainly were worse places to keep a borrower- in all honesty he was expecting to wake up in a jar, if _at all_. But as he looked around he realized that the only thing keeping him there was the fact that he was on a shelf, and too injured to climb down. 

He hated to think it, but the human seemed… genuine. What she wanted him for or if she'd even let him go he still didn't know, but if she was willing to help him get better in the meantime then he'd begrudgingly take the assistance. There was nothing else he could do.

After a few minutes of silence confirming that she wasn't about to return, Will pulled himself back under the covers. Everything in him hurt when he moved, and he let out a long sigh as he finally found a comfortable position to lay in. He spent a while staring at his bandaged arm before deciding to go to sleep once more. He wasn't a fan of leaving himself so vulnerable like that, but his head still ached too much to be awake.

Eventually he drifted off, hoping things would go just as well when he woke once more.

\-----

The next time Casey decided it was time to check on him, a few hours had passed. The sun was dipping low into the sky, casting hues of orange and pink on the pages of the book she was reading. She sighed, marking her place and putting it down.

She'd been reading for a while now, but none of the words were even absorbing with her mind so preoccupied on her strange sleeping guest. She felt bad about the entire thing, and had absolutely no idea what to do. Would keeping him here to heal be considered kidnapping? Did he have somewhere to be? If so, where did he come from in the first place? And what even _was_ he? 

Her stomach grumbled, pulling her from her thoughts. It was nearing dinner, and if she was getting hungry he likely was too; Whatever he was, _everything_ had to eat. Food might also be more incentive for him to trust her, but her hopes weren't high. Still she rose to her feet, heading towards the kitchen to find something to make.

When she returned to her closet once more, she had some warm soup, water, and bread in hand. Not wanting to just intrude, she knocked lightly against the door. 

"Hey, are you hungry..? I've got some dinner here, if you want." She asked, but as per usual there was no reply. Very carefully, she peeled the door back.

Will had already woken up from the sound of her footsteps approaching, unsurprised when the door reopened. He sat up in the nest he had made for himself, but pulled the fabric up to cover himself as an extra layer of protection. His eyes poked out over the top, flicking between her and her hand as she spoke. 

"Probably been a while since you've had a hot meal, huh?" She joked lightly, trying to lift the tense atmosphere. Will only scoffed internally. _If she only knew_. 

He visibly tensed as she brought her hand a little closer, but she stopped after moving it only a few inches. He still looked incredibly nervous, and she was instantly reminded of how he'd flinched back from her before. It wasn't just the waking up in a foreign environment that was scaring him she realized. _She_ was.

"Can I put these next to you?" She asked, her small smile dropping. "I know moving must be awful."

Will paused, puzzled by her actions. She had no reason to care about his boundaries or not, and gained nothing from asking for his _permission_ to come closer. They both knew she had the power to do what she wanted in this situation, but would she really listen if he said no? 

He glanced back down to the food in her hand, his stomach grumbling at the smell of it. Did he even _want_ to say no?

A few seconds of contemplating passed by before Will hesitantly nodded. 

Casey's face lit up in excitement, surprised at his reply. It wasn't quite talking, but the wary communication was better than the look of terror he was giving before. He also wasn't trying to back away, which she considered progress. 

Surprisingly, Will held his ground as her massive hands came his way. They were so close, close enough for him to reach out and touch, and he barely breathed until they retracted back to her sides. When he looked beside him where they'd been, there were two caps and some bread. One was filled with a colored broth, the other water.

It was a refreshing sight to see, but he wasn't about to break borrower code just to thank her for feeding him like a _pet_. 

"Do you need anything else?" She asked after a moment, but Will only shook his head. While he _did_ need to get out of here and see his brother again, he doubted that she would do that for him. He also needed to find a way to make another shirt again, but that could wait until he got out. _If_ he ever got out.

Casey's expression fell at his refusal. It was clear now that he could understand her, but he still seemed too cautious to give much more than minimal communication. He hadn't even reached for the food, only eyeing it suspiciously. So many questions about him swirled around her mind, and she hoped that he would warm up to her enough to answer them.

But only time would tell.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it, then." Her shoulders sagged in defeat, her stare not meeting his. Their interactions were getting a little better, but they were still so awkward and tense. She didn't know what to do other than leave him to heal, hoping that it was the right course of action, but the more she thought about it the more she couldn't help but feel like she was holding him hostage. Her intentions were good, but what if he didn't know that? 

She bit her lip and shook her head free of the thoughts, slowly closing the closet door once again. It couldn't be more clear that she wouldn't hurt him and was only there to help, and hopefully he would come to realize that sooner than later.

Sighing to herself, Casey returned to the kitchen with a tired shuffle to clean up the rest of dinner. But as she rounded the corner her eyes caught a glimpse of something small on the counter abruptly tucking itself out of view behind the utensil bin.

"Hello..?" She called out softly, cocking and eyebrow and approaching slowly. For all she knew this one was an _actual_ mouse and she was just talking to the air, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasnt alone. After a second of silence, she reached out a shaky hand to gently push the cover aside.

But while she was expecting to find _another_ small person, she certainly wasn't expecting him to _speak_.

_"Where's Will?"_


End file.
